Pharrell Williams criticised for singing 'Happy' to Israeli soldiers as part of army fundraiser

Pharrell Williams performs on stage at the Global Citizen Festival G20 benefit concert at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, northern Germany last year. This week he was criticised for performing his song 'Happy' at a fundraising event for the Israel Defence Forces. AFP

Pharrell Williams has been criticised on social media for performing in an annual fundraiser for the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Organised by the New York-based Friends of the Israel Defence Forces, the pop singer joined fellow musician Ziggy Marley on stage at the November 1 gala, performing to a crowd that included Israeli soldiers in uniform.

Several Hollywood stars, including Gerard Butler, Ashton Kutcher and The Nanny actress Fran Drescher, also attended the Los Angeles event, which raised a record $60 million (Dh220 million) for the IDF.

Remember: more than 200 Palestinians have been killed in the past seven months. And in just one week in May this year, 64 Palestinians were killed by Israeli soldiers.

Williams took to the stage to perform his global hit Happy to a room full of Israeli soldiers and their supporters. This was only days after Williams tweeted to demand that United States President Donald Trump stop using the same song as part of his US midterm elections campaign.

WOWZA. Check out this cease and desist sent by Pharrell Williams to Donald Trump for using “Happy” on “the day of the mass murder of 11 human beings,” as the letter puts it. pic.twitter.com/Mst83Vp0kO

Palestinian-American hip-hop producer Fredwreck - real name Faird Nassar – also called out Williams for his performance.

To my friend @Pharrell you performed for the IDF who murdered 252 Palestinians(49 children) this year protesting for their rights against being occupied. And you sing “Happy” to them?! What a shame 🤷🏻‍♂️ #freepalestine 🇵🇸 https://t.co/pdeZu2ApGP

The US based think-tank, The Institute for Middle Eastern Understanding also denounced the move, claiming it was contrary to the spirit of Williams's song.

A response to the Hollywood IDF fundraiser, "It is difficult to understand how actors and performers, who carry the message of life, can support an army that carries out systematic killings, which contradict the essence of life and art"-Ahmed Abu Artema. https://t.co/g4OqgDrgO9pic.twitter.com/3d3Iu3Y4Ml

This is not the first time Palestinian activists have expressed their dismay at Williams. Hundreds of protesters from the South African chapter of the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement demonstrated outside his Cape Town concert in 2015 over his plans to perform in Tel Aviv the following June. Williams eventually scrapped the date, citing a "scheduling conflict".

While none of the stars above posted their fundraiser appearance on their respective social media channels, news of their participation spread on social media, with fans immediately making their feelings known.

Butler, who recently starred in the crime caper Den of Thieves, has also been lambasted online, particularly from fellow fans of the Scottish football club Celtic – a team that has a long history of supporting Palestinian human rights and independence.

Meanwhile, reggae star Ziggy Marley has also been facing heat from fans, several of which accused him of disrespecting his father’s legacy by attending the event.

@ziggymarley Your father fought against apartheid and you have the audacity to attend a gala that supports apartheid (IDF) Shameful, selling out to Hollywood's perversion.

In a recent interview with The National, Marley said the songs in his latest album Rebellion implore listeners to look beyond politics of division and focus, instead, on our common humanity.

“What I am trying to get across is that as a humanity, we want to live in peace and love no matter what religion you are,” he said. “But we have to go and make the world and leaders know that. Only the willing will achieve their dreams.”